Netizens

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a marketing manager for Classen. Classen is very active in the home furnishing industry with one of the largest flooring factories in the world. The company has its own production plant in Rybnik-Zwonowice, which is responsible for serving the central-eastern European market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Netizens?

We were looking for a permanent technological partner with whom we will carry out IT projects supporting sales and company development. Netizens has built a new website and several landing pages for us. However, first of all, we needed an original software tool - Classen Cloud - both for our sales representatives and customers, where you can browse all our products.

What were your goals for this project?

The new solutions were to increase control over the visual identification of advertising materials, affect the consistency of the presentation of the offer and give everyone the opportunity to provide up-to-date data on the products in a convenient way.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Netizens was recommended to us by our client, who has completed a software project with them. We checked them - they had a lot of experience and above all positive reviews. The first meeting showed that they have all the qualifications to support us technologically.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Classen Cloud consists of an administrative part and is dedicated strictly to customers. SAP software communicates with the Classen Cloud API, through which product data is imported straight into the administration panel. Here, materials prepared for presentation can already be published in the cloud. The tool is also available as a mobile application on iOS and Android.

What was the team composition?

During the work I was contacting mainly the project manager, but also I often talked to the account manager and the main developer who handled the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We have received real business value. Classen's customers and representatives in the cloud will find the company's complete range of products with detailed technical descriptions and photos ready to download. The database is accessible to everyone, but logged-in users get access to additional features such as high-resolution files and a full offer. The tool is also available in English and Russian.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We had a carefully planned work schedule. They always informed us about current tasks. We mainly communicated via e-mail and phone, but we also had video calls with the whole team. When the project faced a bottleneck, the solution was instantaneous.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Netizens added value to us and strengthened our sales activities with its solutions. Their team provides a comprehensive set of skills, and the developers have a customized mindset and a lot of expertise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

So far, our cooperation has been going smoothly. I can surely say that we have gained a valuable technological partner. The proof of that is another big project that Netizens is already implementing for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of product development at a loss prevention software company. Our intelligent video surveillance platform does EBR, or exception-based reporting, to help prevent losses and improve operational efficiencies in retail stores and restaurants. The platform crosses POS data; if something unexpected happens, we push alerts. The retail store or restaurant has hardware at their location. The software is also accessible via a Windows web server, which allows us to pull in the data and look at it from wherever we are.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netizens?

My company hired Netizens to do video analytics.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Netizens deployed their MovStat software product to augment our product portfolio and add video analytics to our platform. They implemented their software on our existing hardware installation and made sure they could receive our camera feeds and read our data. We created a single sign-on portal with a video analytics panel. Netizens did the UI design.

What is the team composition?

We work with four team members, including our project lead Aleksandra (Product Manager, Netizens).

How did you come to work with Netizens?

I don’t have a lot of insight on that, since I inherited the agreement from my predecessor.  

What is the status of this engagement?

My company began working with Netizens in October 2018. They completed the integration in July 2019, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our product launch is still underway, so I don’t have many statistics to point to. However, Netizens is helping us create some significant waves within the video analytics industry by offering a light touch, cost-effective solution. Netizens has given us a tremendous competitive advantage. They’re improving our detection of dwell times and traffic. For instance, if a retail store’s line becomes long, the software can send alerts letting store employees know.

How did Netizens perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve exceeded my expectations. The team is on top of things. We communicate via email and weekly calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

For the price point, they deliver a fantastic, unparalleled solution. What sets Netizens apart is that they augmented our product offering quickly and easily. We were surprised at how smoothly the implementation of their software went, and they did it faster than a lot of other providers could’ve. Not many other vendors will do video analytics without using their own hardware. Netizens not only agreed to use our hardware, but also did it for a reasonable price.

They've been great at customizing the UI, being responsive to our customers, and quickly resolving issues. They generally do tasks right the first time around.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing particularly reasonable that I could say. The project has been well run, and I’m very happy with the outcome.

Any advice for potential customers?

They’re a great partner. If you engage them, they’ll work very collaboratively with you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of public affairs and corporate communication for 24/7 Communication. We’re one of the leading public relations agencies in Poland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netizens?

This project was for a huge company that we have been servicing for many years. At the beginning of last year, our client made a big commitment to the environment on both a global level and a local level in Poland.

We wanted to create something that would show what our client does for the environment in a friendly and innovative way. The main idea behind it was to show those commitments to the participants of one of the greatest economic forums in Poland. We wanted to be able to attract people to our stand during this event.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked Netizens for their recommendations on how we could show our client’s commitments using their knowledge and tools. They were involved from the very beginning and prepared a huge proposal with references. 

They proposed to build an interactive wall display that we called “a magic wall.” They’d build this wall for our client to use at different events and internally for their employees and franchisees to explain what their work for the environment.

They prepared all the graphics, the whole structure of the wall, and the devices needed. We just provided them with the necessary information regarding all the commitments, and they figured out how to make it. Their team created animations and short videos along with explanatory information to display on the wall. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people from their team, including a graphic designer, programmer, project manager, and an additional teammate that was helping out. The project manager was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Netizens?

As an agency, we had done some work previously with them, and I received a referral from one of our team members.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from April–May 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The client was very impressed. They continued to contact Netizens for more information on the product and express how pleased they were. The end party also presented it at their European meeting for the entire corporate relation team, showing its importance. 

The first event was for 5,000–8,000 people, and a lot of people stopped by the stand to see the magic wall and were also really impressed. Any bugs or issues were solved before the event and everything went well.

How did Netizens perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very accessible. We had a very tight schedule, but Netizens managed to be on every phone call. We also had video calls with their entire team, but we mostly communicated through email and phone. Our contact with them was daily, and they were extremely responsive. Their team was full of helpful problem-solvers, which was great.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They weren’t intimidated by the size of the project and the deadline. When working with a large international company like we were, making decisions can often take a very long time, but Netizens didn’t have this issue. They came to us with great ideas and continued to improve them during the project. There were no problems with the project, and they were even with us at the event, so I knew I could rely on them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing to improve—everything was good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the space to showcase what they do the best. Let them propose something and be innovative, and you’ll get good results in the end. They are very good at finding a solution to satisfy your needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical director of an international IT company. We provide various services to clients, including TV commercials, print, and websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netizens?

We needed to be able to scale our business more effectively. We often have short timelines and run into resources issues, so we needed a partner who could augment our team. Specifically, we were working on an augmented reality (AR) product and needed help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided a detailed briefing that had lots of infrastructural and technical ideas, including a proof of concept.  We discussed the AR project with Netizens, meeting in person to do a workshop and define the timeline and tasks. From there, they began the work, and we checked the quality, functionality, and UI of the product.

They’ve worked on numerous projects, but the AR app was for the biggest consumer electronics event in Germany. The app was part of an installation we did, collaborating with street artists around the world. The artists created a piece of art in a pop-up gallery located in Berlin, and the app interacted with the space to create another world around the artwork.

What is the team composition?

They had two project managers and about six developers.

How did you come to work with Netizens?

A work partner referred them. We met with Netizens and liked the services they offered, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from June–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They do good-quality work that has few bugs. Someone from our team checked the visual quality every two weeks and never had any issues. We did have a problem with the on-site component, but Netizens quickly fixed it. It was a pleasure working with them.

How did Netizens perform from a project management standpoint?

They always kept us informed with current tasks and who was working on what. We never had any surprises, and we used Redmine to track the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had regular debriefings to optimize the partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had to have multiple deliveries during critical phases, and their release management could’ve been better. However, it improved over time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chairman of Osler Health Network, a management company overseeing 200 physicians in gainsharing projects with major insurance companies and government programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netizens?

We needed to gather data to achieve gainshare status in the database system. We started out with other offshore companies in different countries, but none of the relationships worked out. Our organization then hired Netizens to collect data from disparate sources and aggregate them into a central database, which we could then redistribute back to practices to improve efficiency, outcomes, and reimbursements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Netizens created the program to collect laboratory and X-ray data from our pool of 85,000 patients. We had to know how many people received specific services because we are measured by the percentile of achievement. They funnel that information into the database we use to assess and leverage our savings.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with the deputy project manager, who had a team of at least seven people behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Netizens?

After partnering with domestic and offshore vendors, I reached out to friends in Poland that recommended Netizens. The team visited our offices and developed the initial scope with us. They had great technical and English skills.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $1 million total, which includes $15,000 monthly maintenance fees.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2007 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The constant change in our industry makes Netizens’ ongoing support imperative. Without their database, our physicians couldn’t be successful in such a dynamic field. Our partners have praised the solution’s performance and smooth experience.

Furthermore, the team stayed on budget and achieved a 100% meaningful use project with the federal health authorities. Clearly, they devoted the right resources to give us an advantage in the market. Companies without this tool use claims data, which has a three-month lag. We get information almost next-day, which has put us nearly a decade ahead of current trends.

How did Netizens perform from a project management standpoint?

We have phone or conference calls with the project manager at least twice per week; otherwise, we email the team. Developers will reach out with questions too. They have a contact on our team to coordinate progress and feedback.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their solutions are innovative and reflect the team’s dedicated effort. In addition, they provided helpful suggestions and delivered on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, because we’ve never had a problem. Although we squabble about price, the collaboration works well and there’s no negativity in the relationship; it’s very open and transparent.

Any advice for potential customers?

With any vendor, stay on top of the project to ensure timely completion. They’re honest and always upfront about challenges.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

the Director of Business Development for Concept X. We’re a communication agency that focuses on creating digital items for events and new products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Netizens?

We needed help with app development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our biggest project with them was building an Android app for an event and distributing it on individual devices to event attendees. It utilized beacon technology and push notifications to help people find the room their next scheduled event was in, and their specific transportation. If they entered the wrong car, the app would tell them how to find the correct one. Every user could personalize the app so it reminded them of their specific schedule. It also included a voting tool that let them participate in polls.

They also helped out when we ran a booth at a digital fair in Germany where we built a cuckoo clock that had a counter built in it. Netizens inserted a system that counted every tweet that was posted on Twitter with a specific hashtag used at the booth. When someone would tweet with that specific hashtag, the cuckoo came out of its clock.

What is the team composition?

I am mostly in contact with their Business Development Director, but I also talked to their Client Service Director and the developer who was handling the project.

How did you come to work with Netizens?

We were creating a network of live communication agencies in Europe, and we came across Netizens. We soon realized that they weren’t an agency like we were, but that they did provide digital support services for events. When we started this project, we felt out what it was all about, and then got into price and development details.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around €150,000 Euro ($176,349 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We got high coverage at the event and had 1,000 people use the app.

How did Netizens perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through email, telephone, and Skype calls mostly. We collaborated on the plans for the event app.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Netizens is very innovative. They don’t just have standard solutions. If you ask for something that isn’t currently in the market, they always find a way to make it possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their internal structure has always been fine, and their solutions always work, but it isn’t always easy. Perhaps it would be better if they had more of a testing period prior to an event. However, sometimes we get information from a client one week before and they don’t have a lot of time to implement it and test for a couple of weeks.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Define exactly what you expect and need prior to starting any work. Also, you should have an in-person kickoff meeting with the entire project so that everyone understands next steps, and the project goal and timeline.